Business of the House

Will the Leader of the House give us the forthcoming business?

The business for the week commencing 15 December will include:

Monday 15 December—Consideration of a Lords message to the Employment Rights Bill, followed by Second Reading of the Industry and Exports (Financial Assistance) Bill.

Tuesday 16 December—Second Reading of the Finance (No. 2) Bill.

Wednesday 17 December—If necessary, consideration of a Lords message, followed by Second Reading of the National Insurance Contributions (Employer Pensions Contributions) Bill, followed by if necessary, consideration of a Lords message.

Thursday 18 December—General debate on matters to be raised before the Christmas Adjournment. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

The House will rise for the Christmas recess at the conclusion of business on Thursday 18 December and return on Monday 5 January 2026, when the provisional business for that week will include:

Monday 5 January—Debate on a motion on mobile connectivity in rural areas. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

Tuesday 6 January—Second Reading of the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill.

A key theme of business questions has been the need for the Government and, indeed, the whole country to be resolute in the face of Russian aggression in Ukraine. In that context, I know the whole House will want to join me again in expressing our profound sorrow for the death of Lance Corporal George Hooley of the Parachute Regiment. He was clearly an exemplary soldier. We salute his courage and his service, and we send our deep regrets and condolences to his friends and family.

You will have noted, Mr Speaker, that I have inaugurated a chink-of-light moment at business questions, recognising a time when, accidentally, deliberately or under compulsion, the Government have done something right. Last week, they quite rightly dropped day one protections in the Employment Rights Bill. In that same spirit, I express my very strong support for work under way on the need for European nations to collaborate on immobilising, freezing and utilising Russian financial assets for the benefit of Ukraine. Will the Leader of the House make inquiries with the relevant Ministers to ensure that the Government are taking every conceivable measure to do the same immobilisation, freezing and utilisation for any Russian assets controlled by UK financial institutions or passing through the jurisdiction of the City of London?

I do not know whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer is a fan of the film “Casablanca”. The House will recall the immortal moment in which the morally flexible chief of police, Captain Renault, professes himself “Shocked, shocked” to discover that there is gambling going on in Rick’s casino, even while he trousers his own winnings. So it is with the Chancellor, who told the Treasury Committee this week of how angry and upset she was at the level of leaking of the Budget that had taken place. It was, as she put it, “incredibly damaging”, and she had initiated an immediate leak inquiry.

I do not think that I am revealing a state secret in telling the House that that inquiry will not name any individuals as responsible or, indeed, discover that anyone was at fault at all, let alone in the nest of singing skylarks now occupying Downing Street. It is, however, offensive to think that the head of the Office for Budget Responsibility can investigate and review the leak there and resign within a matter of hours while this nonsense drags on. We must therefore conclude that, as with Captain Renault, the whole thing is a sham confected for the benefit of the Government.

First, I join the shadow Leader of the House in sending our condolences to the friends and family of Lance Corporal Hooley, who died while serving our country and in the cause of keeping the flame of freedom alive.

As we approach Christmas, I want to recognise the contribution that charities make across our country. Homelessness charities in particular provide an invaluable service in supporting those experiencing homelessness throughout the year, but particularly as the temperatures fall. I draw the House’s attention to the launch of the Government’s homelessness strategy today, which aims to halve the number of people sleeping rough long term by 2029 and which will rewire the system to ensure that support is where it is most needed. My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Homelessness will provide further details to the House in her statement later today.

I also want to mention the charity Citizens UK, which does a fantastic job across the country, including in my constituency, and which has been selected by The Guardian for its charity appeal this year. As a result of Citizens UK’s successful campaign, it has helped to triple the number of living wage employees across the north-east region and launched a citizens commission on mental health, particularly for young people. It has had a direct influence on the excellent work that the Government are doing in that regard. I want to place on the record, as the Member of Parliament for Tynemouth, my thanks to the Reverend Simon Mason and Father Chris Hughes, who provide fantastic leadership on these matters.

I am pleased to announce today the publication of the Modernisation Committee’s first report with recommendations to improve accessibility across the parliamentary estate. It is simply not acceptable that some MPs, staff and visitors are prevented from engaging in some aspects of parliamentary life due to this place’s inaccessible nature. As the crucible of our democracy and national debate, the House of Commons must be accessible for all, and I am happy to say that work is under way, but much more needs to be done. I thank all members of the Committee and the former Leader of the House, my right hon. Friend the Member for Manchester Central (Lucy Powell), for their work on the inquiry.

At one second past midnight tonight, the race for the Christmas No. 1 begins. My constituent Andrew Horth, of HorthWorld, will be in that race, with his incredible Christmas song “Merry Christmas (Make Amends)”, which was written in support of men’s mental health in the wake of our having lost Mikey Heald, another constituent of mine, back in October. Will the Leader of the House join me in wishing Andrew and HorthWorld the very best of luck, and in encouraging influencers and others to support and stream the song as much as possible?

I am sure that the whole House will join me in wishing Andrew Horth the very best of luck in his campaign for a Christmas No. 1, and in acknowledging my hon. Friend’s role in that endeavour. I place on record our thanks to the work of Derbyshire Mind and all the other charities that do such vital work for men’s mental health.

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

Before I begin, I join the tributes to Lance Corporal George Hooley. His tragic death reminds us of the courage of all our armed forces in their determination to protect our country.

My inbox, like those of other Members, I am sure, has this week been full of correspondence from demoralised businesses, after they were hit by yet another tax rise. We have spoken a lot about the cost of living crisis, but we are now experiencing a cost-of-doing-business crisis, too. Nowhere is that felt more than in the hospitality and retail industries. We in this House are quick to talk about such businesses being the heart of our communities, but they have suffered a lot in recent years. They closed during the covid pandemic, have suffered the rise of the online competition, and were hit by employer national insurance rises last year—those industries were particularly hit by that change because they employ many of the low-paid and young first-jobbers in our economy. They were promised good news on business rates in the Budget, in the form of a fairer system and lower rates, but the revaluations, combined with the tapering of reliefs, have meant that many bills are set to rise.

Businesses in my Carshalton and Wallington constituency, such as Wallington Cycles and the Sun pub in Carshalton, have sent me pretty desperate emails setting out their worries for the future. I have tried to reassure them about the transitional relief that the Government have put in place, which should offset some of the damage, but that is small comfort against the backdrop of so many rising costs. We talk about fairness, but Harrods’ bills are set to fall by over £1 million, while the bill of the average pub will go up by £1,400 every single year.

The Government gave themselves powers to offer a discount of 20p in every £1, but so far they have offered discounts of just 5p. Will the Leader of the House ask the relevant Minister to make a statement to clear up all this confusion and reassure businesses that they will be supported in the coming years?

We do not just talk about small businesses being at the heart of our local communities. They are at the heart of what we do and our approach to these matters. That is why we have introduced permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000, which is worth nearly £900 million annually and benefits three quarters of a million properties. The new relief rates are permanent, giving those businesses certainty and stability, and there is no cap at all, so that all qualifying properties will benefit.

We recognise that there is a challenge in revaluation, which was instigated by the previous Government and is being carried out independently by the Valuation Office Agency. Some businesses have seen their values increase significantly since the pandemic, and I understand that some will be disappointed with the outcome of the Budget, but we are spending £2 billion this year to cap any increases for many businesses up and down the country.

In terms of statements from Ministers, I have just read out the business for next week. We have the Second Reading of the Finance (No. 2) Bill, and I am sure the hon. Member and his party’s finance spokesperson will use that opportunity to raise these concerns further.

I am horrified to report to you and to the House that last night in Swale borough council there were violent scenes, as people wearing balaclavas in the public gallery violently intimidated councillors. They were threatening them and pelting them with eggs and missiles from the gallery. This is an attack on democracy itself, it is an attack on free speech, and it is an attack on my constituents. The building was so badly vandalised afterwards, with toilets flooded and lifts destroyed, that it cannot be used today and is not open. My constituents cannot access council services because of these actions. Our democracy is based on the ability to disagree with each other strongly but never violently. What can be done here in the House of Commons for councillors and MPs across the country who are facing growing levels of violent intimidation?

My hon. Friend speaks powerfully of the appalling actions that have taken place, and I join him in condemning them. Mr Speaker, I know that you have done a great deal through the Speaker’s Conference on the security of candidates, MPs and elections, but this is also a priority for the defending democracy taskforce. The taskforce is focusing on where the police can be increasingly effective when such incidents occur and democracy is deemed to be under threat, not just where MPs are intimidated—of which there are too many examples—but where other local representatives are intimidated, too. It is simply not acceptable. Let me be very clear: anyone involved in public life should not be subject to harassment or intimidation for doing their job, and this House needs to stand united in sending out that message.

As the Leader of the House has brought me into the conversation, the contact that needs to be made within the constabulary is with Operation Ford. I would expect them to take over, and I would expect those who are embedded within Parliament to also connect to Operation Ford for local authorities and councillors. That hotline is there in every police force in the country. I hope people respond accordingly to what I find an appalling situation. An attack on democracy is not acceptable. I call the Chair of the Backbench Business Committee.

In addition to the business that the Leader of the House has announced, the business in Westminster Hall next week will be, on Tuesday 16 December a debate on planning policy for quarries, and on Thursday 18 December a debate on the literary and cultural legacy of Jane Austen, followed by a debate on community audiology. When we come back after the Christmas recess, on Tuesday 6 January there will be a debate on less survivable cancers, and on Thursday 8 January the Liaison Committee will be taking the first slot on a report from the Scottish Affairs Committee.

I thank the Leader of the House for his kind remarks at the Procedure Committee earlier this week about the work of the Backbench Business Committee and, indeed, my remarkable work, which he complimented. We will publish next week the report on the first 15 years of the Backbench Business Committee, with some recommendations for how we may improve the position of Backbench Business. We now have enough applications for debates in the Chamber to last until after the Easter recess, and for Tuesday debates in Westminster Hall until probably after the May recess. Indeed, the only slots available at the moment are the second slots in Westminster Hall on a Thursday—I cannot imagine why that might be.

Jim Shannon will take one.

He’s even turned one down, Mr Speaker.

Right now we are in the middle of a flu epidemic, and the number of patients presenting themselves at hospitals has increased by 50% in a week. I am sure all Members will have taken the sensible precaution of getting our flu vaccines as early as we could. We do not know the result of the doctors ballot, but I am sure we all hope that they will come to their senses and not go on strike. I got an email this week from one of my constituents that was very concerning. He is a 76-year-old man, and he went to his GP surgery to have his flu vaccine. The GP said, “I’m very sorry, but you are too old to have a flu vaccine in the surgery. You must go to the pharmacist.” My constituent went to his local chemist, who said, “I’m very sorry. There are no flu vaccines for people of your age. You can go on a waiting list and wait for what might happen.” That is a real concern for everyone out there who might be seeking a flu vaccine, and we want them to come forward and be vaccinated. Could we have a statement from the Health Secretary next week about the availability of flu vaccines, whether there are age restrictions on those vaccines, and what will be done to increase supply?

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his work as Chair of the Backbench Business Committee, and the whole Committee for its important work. The list of future debates is testament to the important matters that the Committee is able to deal with. We must, of course, look ahead at the parliamentary year, and parliamentary weeks, but there is inevitably a place for such important debates.

I am grateful that the hon. Gentleman watched my performance in the Procedure Committee yesterday. That is at least one person who was watching, and I suppose it is a warning that in future I had better take more care with what I am saying. What I said—I invite colleagues to watch it or read the transcript; it is a blockbuster—and my comments about the hon. Gentleman and the Committee were genuine. He is doing a very good and important job, as is the Committee, and I am pleased to be able to say that.

If the hon. Gentleman lets me have details of the vaccine case that he raised, I will take it up with the Department for Health and Social Care. I am surprised, as he is, that we are talking about possible strike action by doctors in the midst of what is happening out there and the flu situation, which is very serious, and I hope that is reflected in the attitudes of doctors as they move towards a ballot. He is right: what people require is clarity. I do not know the answer to his point about why someone should be pushed from pillar to post. That is not acceptable. There are enough vaccines out there, and it is not acceptable that there is not sufficient clarity. If he lets me have the details, I will draw the case to the attention of Ministers, and if there needs to be greater clarity going forward, I will ensure that that is what we get.